Replacements
by Ginger S
Summary: Roy's thoughts about working with temporary replacements for Johnny when he is hurt.


**Replacements**

**By GCS**

_**DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction, and any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.**_

He gripped the steering wheel with white hot knuckles.

He was known as the cool one, level headed, always in control.

He didn't feel very in control at this moment.

He was angry at his current situation.

Angry with his partner….temporary partner.

The worst part about when his crew mates were out on vacation or injured was that he had to put up with the replacements.

Right now Roy Desoto would give anything for this particular shift to end. Unfortunately since his regular partner, John Gage was currently laid up at Rampart following emergency surgery to repair his collapsed lung and lacerated liver, Roy was stuck with yet another replacement. Johnny had been trapped by a collapsed ceiling on last shift, and for Roy that meant yet another string of temporary partners. As luck would have it, or not, this particular shift he was stuck with Craig Brice, the walking rule book.

'Why did I feel so angry?' he thought to himself. 'Why did I let Craig get to me this way?' He knew that it was just a temporary part of his world. Alone in the squad Roy could let his guard down, let out his anger. He could not afford to do it in front of his crew mates for fear that he would lose their respect. He wanted to maintain his cool headed image. Keep everyone thinking that he was unflappable. Trouble is he didn't know who he was angry with Craig or Johnny for getting injured again, so here he was gripping the steering wheel as tight as he could trying to regain his composure before arriving at Rampart to pick Craig up after he rode in with their patient. He hoped to have a few minutes to run up to check up on Johnny before the rule book recited another litany of why it was against regulation to conduct personal business on department time.

Backing in beside the ambulance he put the squad in park and counted to 10, then 20, and took several cleansing breaths before stepping out. 'Keep it together Desoto,' he said to himself. He grabbed the HT from the seat and made his way into the automatic doors that led to the emergency department. Glancing to his right he did not see Brice in the hall so he ducked into the waiting elevator. Maybe Craig would not need to know he was there until after he had checked on his _real_ partner. He smiled at himself thinking that his actions were more like Johnny than the level headed responsible Roy Desoto.

Slipping into the room he first checked the various monitors attached to his best friend. 'Oh Johnny I hope you get out of this one still able to work with me. I don't think I can keep working with Brice. Oh he is competent, but he just is not you. What is it about you that trouble seems to always find you?' His thoughts caused a lump to rise in his throat. Johnny was a good man and an excellent firefighter/paramedic, but trouble seemed to follow him at every turn. Moving beside the bed Roy silently counted Johnny's respirations; he lifted the man's wrist to count his pulse for himself, not that he didn't trust the monitors, but he needed the reassurance that the beating pulse beneath his own fingers gave him that Johnny would again recover to be at his side. There was a stirring from the bed. "Come on Junior it's time to wake up."

Johnny's eyes fluttered, drawn to his friend's voice. Roy could always get Johnny to either calm down or wake up just by talking to him. The doctor's at Rampart were always willing to break the rules to let Roy be by Johnny's side whenever he could. "Come on Pal, open those brown eyes. Talk to me Junior."

Johnny's eyes slid open to a crack and searched the room until they landed on Roy locking eyes with him. "Roy?"

"Welcome back partner." Roy smiled down at his best friend. "Bout time."

"Desoto I've been looking everywhere for you. We are still on shift. We need to call in available," Brice said as he pushed into the room.

"Shut up and have Dr. Brackett paged Brice," Roy said with much disdain.

Brice turned and walked out the door with a frown.

"Making you crazy? Johnny smiled his famous Gage grin at Roy.

"Yeah."

Johnny's eyes slid closed.

"Oh no not so fast Junior. Brackett will want to check you out before you get to sleep again."

"K, Roy."

"Well Roy you did it again. You just have a way with that partner of yours. Can you step outside while I give him the once over? Besides I think Craig Brice is going to have a break down if you don't call in available," Dr. Kelly Brackett shook his head smiling down at his patient as Johnny grinned back at the doctor's comments about Brice.

"Yeah, yeah I'm going," Roy said as he headed towards the door. "I'll check on you next run Johnny." Roy slipped from the room pausing at the door to get one last look at his friend before raising the HT to call in available from Rampart. After all, Craig was waiting.

Getting in behind the wheel of the squad Roy noticed Brice's scowl as he sat waiting in the passenger seat, _Johnny's seat_, staring straight ahead. Shrugging his shoulders feeling a lot better since seeing Johnny, Roy felt that he could probably put up with Brice for the rest of this shift.


End file.
